Even if you don't have or don't want to own say rental property or raw land... you can still participate in real estate via Real Estate Investment Trusts, stocks of Mortgage Lenders, Builders or Developers, and Mutual funds that invest in the real estate industry.

5. Individual investors have far too much money in cash.

Cash earns such a low return that if you have too much of your portfolio in cash you will greatly reduce the overall return on your portfolio.